The Nissan Leaf is called by many the pioneer in the field of bidirectional charging. Rightly so, because this model was the first electric car that was mass-produced and that was actually able to deliver back to the grid. Ironically enough, there was very little attention for the technology. The possibilities were completely lacking and there was little need to look at bidirectional charging with the Nissan Leaf, because apart from situations with power outages, there was actually no major advantage to be gained. Now, in a period in which grid congestion is becoming increasingly problematic and optimal use of our energy is important, the Nissan Leaf is suddenly back in the spotlight.
Bidirectional charging with your Nissan Leaf: what you need to know
Many of the Nissan Leaf models are equipped with a ChaDeMO connection. On the one hand, this is a bit annoying, since this is not the standard connection in Europe and therefore causes problems with, for example, charging cables and charging stations, but on the other hand, it is a great advantage. This ChaDeMO connection is a great advantage when it comes to bidirectional charging. In contrast to the CSS connection, you can supply to the grid with ChaDeMO when the hardware is capable of this. This is the case with the Nissan Leaf.
Please note that the Nissan Leaf does not support V2L. With this model you can only use V2G and V2H, that is, car-to-net and car-to-home.
What can we expect from Nissan in the field of bidirectional charging?
Nissan itself has not yet announced what its plans are for the Nissan Leaf. This may also have to do with the fact that bidirectional charging with the Nissan Leaf is now also possible in America. The major disadvantage of bidirectional charging with the Nissan Leaf is that the battery pack of this model is very modest. This means that the Leaf is not exactly a great addition to the network as a home battery, although you can of course also argue that a 24-39 kWh home battery on wheels is still much more than nothing and that you can store electricity for an average home for several days with it.
Bidirectional charging with your Nissan Leaf in the future
Since the Nissan Leaf is still in production and many people are now eagerly awaiting developments in the field of bidirectional charging, it is quite possible that Nissan will provide the Leaf with a number of adjustments to get this model back into the spotlight. The question is and remains whether the Leaf can stay ahead of the competition, because with adjustments for the CSS plug looming to also be able to use other models for this technology, the question is whether Nissan is not already working on developing new models that support bidirectional charging.
Here's what you want to consider when it comes to bidirectional charging
Bidirectional charging with a Nissan Leaf is possible if you have a model with a ChaDeMO connection, but that does not mean that you can actually use the technology. For that, you must also be suitable and you need a bidirectional charging station. Only in this way can you supply power to your home via the charging station (and smart meter). An electric car that supports bidirectional charging is therefore not enough to use bidirectional charging with your Nissan Leaf at home.
